It All Started In The Central Tower
by BlackRavenOfTheRedSand
Summary: Story of a young orphaned ninja, who becomes a member of the Anbu Black Opps. Characters: many O.C.s, Gaara, others... I know that I changed stuff, but i did it to fit in with the story! if you don't like it, don't read it!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The ninja trio walked into the central room of the tower. It held several chairs, two tables and three couches. The high ceiling had multiple rafters concealed in shadows stretching across it.

"Looks like we're the first!" the tall boy in black whispered.

"We might be the first," the short boy with red hair growled, "but we aren't alone."

"What do you mean?" the girl asked.

In response, the red-head flicked his hand up toward the shadowy rafters which caused sand to fly up and surround something, which let out a startled yelp of surprise. In less than half of a second, held aloft by sand covering her from her knees to her ankles, was a very angry girl, arms folded across her chest, glaring down at her attacker. Who glared right back.

"Who are you?" he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Her gaze flickered to the other two, then back. After a long silence, she said, "Kankuro, Temari. How are things in the Sand Village?"

"Have we met before? Do we know you?" Kankuro asked suspiciously.

"Met? No. Know? Not personally." Then, pain clouded her eyes, and she said in a taut voice, she asked, "Could one of you get him to drop me? He is unnecessarily crushing my legs, which I use quite often."

The red-head snorted and released the sand. The girl flipped in midair and landed on the floor with a mutter of "Looks like someone needs to learn some manners!"

Now the sand siblings could get a gook look at this stranger. She had shoulder length black hair, her left eye was a deep blue, her right, a pale green. She wore a leaf forehead protector around her neck, and was clad in a dark blue tunic, light weight armor going from her shoulders to her elbows, fingerless black gloves, black leggings, and the same armor was going from her knees to her ankles.

After giving Gaara another hate filled look, which he gladly returned, she lept back up to the rafters. As she did, something black and silver clattered to the floor. Kankuro used chakara strings to pick it up. It looked like a sand village head band, but it was too scratched up to tell.

He looked up at the rafters and said, "Ummmmm... leaf ninja? You dropped this?"

A few seconds passed, and he felt a warm breath brush his cheek. "You can call me Ōkami."

He felt something brush his hand, and suddenly, both headband and Ōkami were gone.

"She's fast," Gaara muttered, "Could be a threat."

"I'm not a threat," Ōkami suddenly appeared reclining in a chair, "I got assigned to this room against my will by the Hokage. This part of the exams last five days," She jumped up to hang upside down by her feet on a rafter, "and I have to keep you all in here until the second test is over."

Now Gaara spoke: "So you're saying we will be stuck, for five days, here with YOU?"

"I highly doubt that you could keep me in here for very long. I can leave whenever I want."

The next thing he knew, his face impacted the floor and Ōkami was sitting on his back casually examining her nails. "I don't think so. Never underestimate an opponent you know nothing about. You don' know what I'm capable of."

She stood, and Kankuro stood as well. "So," he said, looking her over, "You're pretty feisty."

"No."

"WH-what? Why not?"

Temari came over and whacked his head. "We're here on a mission, not to flirt. Got it?"

Gaara approached. "You should know better. You could ruin everything."

The two older siblings began to bicker, and Ōkami began to back away. The only thing that stopped her was an angry wall of pulsating wall of sand.

"Running away, are you?" Gaara rasped.

"It's called a 'Tactical Military Retreat,' for your information," she said sarcastically.

Angry, Gaara pulled his sand back to his gourd. When she was back in the rafters, the sand ninja heard her say, "Sand ninja in summary: demonic, quick to anger and insane!"

All through the first night, the sand trio could hear Ōkami pacing and muttering in the rafters above them, and they saw very little of her over the next three days.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

On the morning of the fifth day, Temari and Kankuro woke to see Ōkami perched upside down on a rafter, staring at them.

"One hour until you all can leave!" She said brightly.

"Whaa-?" The older siblings said in unison, "Where's Gaara?"

"Those who don't sleep tend to be drawn together," said Gaara, who melded out of the shadows, standing upright, above Ōkami.

Gaara stepped on to a platform of sand and moved down to the floor, and Ōkami walked from the rafter, to the wall, to the floor. She was carrying a small black bag and was wearing a dark emerald green traveling cloak.

"When you three finish," she said as she opened the door, "Go down the hallway and find the big room on the right. Apparently, there will be an elimination match... So be there in an hour, I guess."

Then, she disappeared in a swirl of smoke and green fabric.

"So," Kankuro said as they walked towards the match room, "What did you two talk about? Anything good?"

"We didn't talk," Gaara replied flatly.

"Then what were you doing?" Temari pressed.

Gaara smiled, "We just sat and looked at the stars," he thought.

*******  
"And," the Leaf Hokage continued, "We have never had this many people pass the second part of the exams, so we will be having a preliminary match to decide who will be allowed to continue on to the final exams."

A man with ashen skin stepped foreword, coughed several times, and began to read the rules in a hoarse voice. When he finished, he turned to the ranks of senseis standing behind him and asked, "Has our medical ninja arrived?"

A hand was raised above the heads, then lowered again. "When you win your set, you will be required to go see our med-nin, who will be set over on the left balcony." He gestured, then said, "Come foreword."

Ōkami stepped foreword, and looked at the proctor. "Go set up your stuff," he said.

Ōkami saluted, disappeared then reappeared on the balcony using the "Flicker Technique".

Whispers of "Wow!" "I didn't see her move" and "what kind of training?" Ran through the assembled crowd.

Once on the platform, Ōkami summoned a small white bag of medical supplies.

*******

"There are no broken ribs..." She ran her hands slowly over Gaara's back, "But your shoulder is a little out of whack."

"What do you mean?" He asked, an edge to his voice.

"Well, your shoulder is out of socket, which might have damaged some mussels, which would explain why you can't move your hand. I'll have to put your shoulder back into place to start with. Are you ready?"

Gaara nodded, and Ōkami put her left hand on his collar bone and her right hand under his elbow. "One... Two... Three..."

The next thing she knew, her back slammed into the far wall, then she slid to the floor, where she sat, dazed while she tried to catch her breath. She stood, coughed up some blood into her hand, and walked back to where Gaara stood, shocked.

In a deathly quiet voice, just loud enough for him to hear, she said, "Your shoulder is healed."

She quickly healed the last few match winners and left as soon as the Hokage dismissed them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

**Some of the names I use are from other series... bonus points if you know them!**

"Are you Ōkami?" a strange voice asked from somewhere behind her.

"Depends on who's asking," she said as she turned, "Be you friend or foe?"

Leaning against a tree by the mouth of the tunnel she had emerged from, stood a tall, masked man clad in the standard uniform of the Anbu Black Opps.

"Don't worry, I'm not your enemy, Ōkami."

"You seem to know me, but I don't know you," she said carefully.

The Anbu laughed. "I was informed that a few months ago, you put in a request to be considered to be the next Anbu White Opps member."

"What about my application?" she asked, her excitement growing.

The Anbu White Opps were one rank lower from the Anbu Black Opps. They delivered messages, spied and escorted feudal lords and village leaders. Each of the Hidden Villages had only one White Opps member, so it was an honor to be selected.

The Anbu sighed. "You can call me Alec, by the way. Our previous White Opp, Hige, was seriously injured on his last mission, and the injury was so severe that he lost a leg."

Ōkami murmured, "That's terrible. But aren't I a little young?"

"You're the only one who's applied. Are you up to the challenge? It's a very dangerous position to be in." He studied her through his mask.

Ōkami drew herself up to her full height. "When do I start?"

Alec nodded. "Tomorrow morning, meet me at the training hall." He clapped her on the back, making her eyes water. "There are some things you need to sign, and I need to assess your skills and strength!"

Then, he disappeared as the first people began to emerge from the tunnel that went from the tower to the village

Ōkami staggered over to a tree and slumped against it. The pain in her ribs was almost unbearable. She gazed at the setting sun and began to trudge back home, using medical ninjutsu to heal her ribs as she walked.

Once home, she washed her face, bound her chest tightly in bandages, and changed into a black midriff top to combat the summer evening heat.

The night was humid, and Ōkami's wandering path through the village ended at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Sitting at the far right of the counter was a kid with yellow hair from the exams, and an instructor from the academy, Iruka. She sat at the far left against the wall and ordered.

While she waited, she half listened to the conversation at the other end of the counter.

"You should have seen it! I was all BAM WHAM! I had no trouble at all!"

Ōkami rolled her eyes as Iruka replied, "I wish I could have seen you fight. It sounds like you've gotten much stronger since I gave you your forehead protector!"

As she walked away from the shop, someone called her name.

"Thanks for treating my injuries at the exams!"

Ōkami turned and waved at the Jinchuriki. "You're welcome!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Well, you're here early! Do you ever sleep?"

Ōkami, sitting upside-down on the ceiling, took a bite of her apple and chewed slowly. "Mmmmm... I haven't slept since I was about three." Then, seeing the disbelieving look her teacher gave her, she said, "Its true!"

This was the fifth training session with Alek. The first four days, he had been assessing her skills and abilities and filling out paperwork. Now, she was going to try out the standard weapons used by the Anbu, to find out which one worked best for her.

"So Alek," she said as she made her way to the floor, " Why are you training me? Don't the Black Opps have to do other stuff aside from training people?"

Alek placed a crossbow on a table and reached into the duffel bag with the other weapons. "The Hokage thinks that you need to train a little more to keep up with the assignments you will be receiving, and since there are no other Shinobi available, I got stuck with you!" He laughed.

"Where do we start?" She asked as she picked up an arrow and spun it between her fingers.

He handed her a long wooden bow and some more arrows. He showed her how to load, hold, aim and fire it. Then, he pointed to a target on the wall. "Good luck!" He said.

All five arrows hit the wall at least three feet from the target edge.

"I don't think so," she said as she placed the bow back on the table.

Next, came the crossbow, which she denied when she nearly speared her foot when loading it. The rope javelin got tangled around her feet and sent her careening into the wall. The spear was much too big which caused her to loose her balance and fall. She kept dropping one or both of the short swords, and the nun chuck swung into her face chipping a front tooth.

Ōkami scanned the table. The only thing that was left was a long sword in a dark brown stiff leather sheath. Alek showed her how the straps went across her body, and how since she was right handed, she drew the sword from over her left shoulder. When she was strapped in and ready, she drew the sword smoothly from the sheath. It was made of strong, fine, steel, and was serrated on one end.

Alek pulled a similar sword from the bag under the table. "Now, Ōkami, I want you to defend your self to the best of your abilities. Ready? Go!"

Alek charged forward, and Ōkami awkwardly met his blade with her own. They fought for about five more minutes, until Ōkami tripped on a broken tile and face-planted on the floor.

"That was great for your first time," Alek praised as he helped her up, "Your technique needs work, and you also need to watch your feet."

Ōkami sheathed her sword and helped Alek pack away all the weapons. "Keep that sword with you at all times," Alek called as they departed, "I think we're meeting tomorrow in the training field, so bring a lunch!"

"I have a sword!" Ōkami thought gleefully as she walked in the general direction of the market.

She bought a whet stone and a bottle of oil from the ninja weapons shop, and found an empty roof top. She jumped to the top and walked over to the chimney. She leaned against it and began to sharpen her sword. When it was as sharp as she could get it, she sheathed it and stretched out on the roof top, with her hands under her head.

"I wonder if the constellations have different names in the different villages?" she asked herself.


	5. Chapter 5

"Where is she?" Alek's voice rang out through the trees, "She ALWAYS arrives before I do!"

"Just a little closer..." Like a cat, Ōkami pulled herself along a tree branch, then lept to the next. "Just stay where you are... nothing to worry about..."

She heard foot steps, and prayed her green cloak kept her hidden amongst thee midsummer leaves. Alek now stood a mere ten feet in front and below her. Quickly, she slithered across the branches until she was right above him. She gave a tug on her sword strap to make sure that it was snug against her back, gave a final check on her target's location, and launched herself hands down, feet up out of the tree.

Ōkami's impact on Alek's shoulders sent him off balance just enough that they both went rolling down a small hill and into the middle of the training field. They lay in a tangle of arms and legs for a moment. Ōkami stood, laughing, and pulled her sensei to his feet and asked, "So, what are we doing today?"

Alek complimented her technique, the explained that she would be using her tracking skills today.

"I'm going to hide somewhere out in the training grounds, and you have until dawn to hunt me down." he said.

"Will you be moving or staying in place?"

"Staying in one place," he said, "But I will need about half an hour to hide, so you can stretch or something."

Ōkami smiled. _I can finally use my Kekki Genkai! _ She thought as she tied her forehead protector over her eyes. After five minutes had passed, she tied it back around her neck and went to stand under a tree to stretch. After half of an hour was up, she went to the place where he had disappeared and scanned the tree line.

Ōkami followed his trail for the entire morning, and half way through the afternoon. When the trail suddenly disappeared on the bank of a small stream, she sat down on a rock and began to eat her lunch.

_And now, for the real tracking to begin! _She thought as she put away her trash. She wove five hand signs, bit her thumb to make it bleed, wiped the blood on her left wrist and said, "Animal Transformation Jutsu! Ninja Hound!"

There was a puff of smoke, and Ōkami transformed into a brown and white ninja hound. She lifted her nose and scented the air. She followed the sent, pausing to sniff tree branches and rocks as she passed them.

Around three in the morning, Ōkami-the-ninja-hound was pacing in a clearing where the sent stopped. She had retraced her steps countless times, but no sent branched off, saying that he had doubled back. Suddenly, the bush next to her snored. Startled, she jumped sideways and released the jutsu. She crept forward on her hands and knees, and the bush snored again.

She forced her remaining chakara into her hand and slowly parted the branches, revealing a small sandstone cave- occupied by a sleeping Alek. Smiling wickedly, Ōkami opened her water bottle and flung the cold water onto her sleeping teacher, who let out a startled yelp as the water hit his chest.

"Found you," Ōkami giggled when he saw her crouched in the cave entrance.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

And so, training progressed. Some physical, some mental. Alek had given her several books to read when ever he was on assignments: one told of the Great Shinobi Wars, one was famous jutsu, and the last was codes she had to unscramble. When there were six days until the final round of the Chunin exams, after a sparring match, Alek announced that Ōkami had a mission.

"Do you know what you're doing tomorrow?" he asked as he bandaged a cut on his arm.

Ōkami pressed an ice pack onto her quickly swelling black eye. "More training?"

"You're going on your first mission as a member of the Anbu."

Ōkami gasped. "Really? What kind of mission? Tracking? Escort? Espionage?"

"Message delivery," Alek laughed, "I don't think that you'll get those missions for quite some time. But you need to report to the Hokage."

Ōkami waved good-bye to her sensei after they finished cleaning up. She stepped onto the road, and then jumped onto the roof. From there, she made her way to the wall surrounding the village, and ran on top of it until she reached the Hokage's mansion. She climbed down the wall, and jogged over to the entrance. When Ōkami was standing in front of the double doors that led into the Hokage's office, she paused to comb her hair back with her fingers and dust off her clothes. Then, she knocked.

"Enter!" a voice called from within.

The Hokage was seated behind his desk, and looked up when she entered.

"Ah, yes." he said, "Ōkami. How are you enjoying your new position?"

"I'm really enjoying it," she said as she dropped down to one knee, "Alek puts me through some tough challenges, but I can feel myself growing stronger all of the time."

The old man nodded and stood, and gestured for Ōkami to do the same. "You sound ready for your first assignment, then. It will be a simple message delivery to one of the feudal lords, concerning a ninja escort he requested. He lives about three or four days away, but you can make it in two, I'm guessing."

The Hokage handed her a scroll and took her over to a map on the wall. "This is the Leaf," he pointed to a spot on the map, "Your target is the feudal lord Mori." he traced a path with his finger, and landed on the castle.

Ōkami nodded and memorized the route. She was dismissed, and went home to change clothes and pack. As she walked to her apartment, she passed several houses where Academy students were being greeted by happy parents. All fell silent as she passed.

When she reached the building where she lived, she charged up the stairs two at a time. As she rounded a corner, running at top speed, she crashed right into Might Guy. The impact sent him flying backwards, and she fell flat on her face. Quickly, she sprang up, and pulled him to his feet with many apologies.

"That's alright!" he boomed, "Judging from your speed and youthful passion, you are going on a mission! I love to see the youth of the Leaf so fired up!"

"Are you OK?" she asked.

"Never been better!" he laughed.

Once she was inside her own apartment, away from the curious glances from the ninja who had heard the impact, she changed into her Anbu uniform and swapped her armor for her lighter traveling set. She haphazardly threw two sets of clothing into her backpack, stuffed her Anbu-issued cloak on top of the clothes, and jammed a whetstone and a book on top of it all. Before she left, she watered her windowsill cactus garden.

Ōkami slammed and locked her door, carefully looked around the corner for approaching ninja, and pounded down the stairs and out into the road. She met Alek by the gate.

"Change of clothes?"

"Yes."

"Cloak? Sword?"

"In the bag and on the back."

"Armour?"

"Never go anywhere without it!"

She handed the two gatekeepers her pass and waved good-bye to Alek.


End file.
